St. Paul daily globe., 1887-08-22
A Prominent Coal Dealer Says
an Increase in Prices
May Be Expected.
Summary of the Railroad Sit
uation in Manitoba By a
Former Resident.
DR.. Gapvin's Lecture---Re-
marks By the Old-Timer
On Everyday Topics.
ANOTHER MERRY WAR.
This Time 1t is Over Contracts
on the New Court House.

This Time 1t Is Over Contracts
on the New Court House.
The action of the city hall and court
house commission in-letting the con-
tract for steam heating to the highest
bidder is creating "a great deal of I'M
favorable comment, especially among
the bidders who got left, and promises
to be the casuS belli of a merry Set-tO
that may rival the uptown bridge affair.
The contract was awarded to A. ..
Nepil. of Des MOines. To-, for S3S, 900,
almost twice the sum asked by the next
highest bidder. Five st. Paul firms had
lower bids than Mr.. Nepil, and Thomas
Davis. formerly of Rogers Il Davis, now
in the steam heating business at 104
East Fourth street, spoke the sentiment
of all last night when interviewed by a
GLOBE reporter. He said:
1t appears. from the report published in the
SUNDAY GLOBE. that the contract for the
steam heating in the new court house has
been awarded to A. o. Nepil for 5000. L
would like to know why this contract has
been awarded TO a firm Wnom no one knows
for double the price bid by responsible st.
Paul firms. This is nearly S2l 900 higher
than the lowest bid, and is i'll fact, more Of
swindie than the upper bridge contract. The
architect states that NeDl was the only bid
der which ch,complied with the specifications.
This is not so. for there were no specitlca-
tons TO comply with, every firm bidding
furnishing their own specifications
There are firms in St Paul capable and
willing to do this work for about half
of Nepils bid Who is Nepil, and where
did he come from? If the architect or com
missioners wish to pile iron in the building
in order to raise the price. st. Paul firms
should be allowed to bid on unnecessary ma
terial. St Paul firms are ready to furnish
satisfactory bonds TO do this work in Il salts
factory manner. and if the architect wants
lot of useless material in the building he
should make specifications stating inst what
is required, and every one would then be
bidding on the same material. and the lowest
responsible bidder would be entitled to the
contract. An injunction will be served to
prevent the contract being aWaIded to Nepll
AN INJUNCTION TALKED OF.
Mr. Davis has consulted an attorney
and the prayer for injunction will prob
ably be placed before the district court
to-day. The law provides that all con-
tracts awarded by the commissioners
must be confirmed by a three-fOurthS
vote of the city council and county COM
missi0ners. A joint meeting of those
bodies will be held tomorrow night at
E O'Clock. and County Commissioner NJ.
J. Daily will oppose the confirmation of
the contract. Mr.. Daily thinks all Of the
county board feel as he does and antic-
ipateS no trouble in defeating the con-
firmatiOn of the award to Nepil. Inter
viewed at his residence last night MI.
Daily said:
IWant TO have this matter explained. I
can't see why a foreign bidder who asks
twice as much as local firms should get that
contract. and am opposed to letting any
contracts to outside parties when the work
ran be just as well done by home concerns.
At the suggestion of the Trades and Labor
assembly / introduced a resolution, which
passed the county board, recommending to
the city hall and court house commissioners
that they give the preference to st. Paul bid
-ders i'll letting all contracts. There are plenty
of st. Paul firms who can do this work just
aswell as an outsider, and l-want to see them
have fair show TO get it.
When the commission advertised for
bids for steam heating, Architect Bass
ford prepared no detailed plans and
specifications OF material required, but
submitted to bidders only few in
5tructions as to what the specifications
must include, leaving the bidders to
submit their own plans and Specifica-
tiOnS with their bids. At a subsequent
meeting these plans and specifications
were opened and referred to Architect
BassfOrd to examine and report which,
in his opinion, was the most desirable
system. At the meeting Saturday
night the architect read
a LENGTHY CRITICISM
upon all the plans and bids submitted,
except that of Mr.. Nepil, which he pro-
nOunced by far the most advantageous
and lauded not little. Acting on his
advice the commission voted the award
of the contract to Mr.. Nepil. The arch
itect'S main objections to the other bids
were that they did not provide for suffi-
cient radiation; that they proposed to
use smaller pipes; and that all except
Mr.. Nepil proposed hanging or laying
the pipes in the basement. totally de-
strOying the utility of that floor, which
is to be finished off and occupied.